11/13/2022 - BLOG COMMENTS are again allowed and are moderated to exclude only the bots, advertisements, racial / ethnic pejoratives, and embedded links. I'll attempt to honor Chicago's historical "Bughouse Square" concept of free-speech and open debate --- spanning the curve from the far-left to the far-right. /JZ
Blogging to you from the Northeastern Badlands of The County of Lake, in the state currently known as Fatmanistan, DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP inside the heartland of the Banana Republic formerly known as the USA, WELCOME TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! WARNING! ALL FORMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ARE ADDICTIVE; EXCESSIVE USE MAY LEAD TO MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, REDUCED JOB PRODUCTIVITY, INSOMNIA, SOCIAL ALIENATION, GENITAL ULCERS, BLINDNESS, POLITICAL EROTICISM, AND / OR DEVIANT FUNAMBULISM. NOTICE: NO GUNS OR AMMUNITION ARE FOR SALE VIA THIS BLOG. (No, I will not trade my Colt Python for some lubricious adventures with your trophy wife and a future first-round draft pick.) CAVEAT: This blog is not suitable for viewing while at work, while inside a public library, while inside any public or private school, or while inside any public or private restroom. Do not view this blog while driving a motor vehicle or while piloting an aircraft. Viewing this blog may be illegal inside the EU, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, and other parts of the Third World. THIS BLOG CONTAINS (albeit often very childish) ADULT-CONTENT. DISCLAIMER: This blog is a hobby, it is not a livelihood. Even though much of what I blog about relates to firearms collecting and recreational shooting, I am not an expert (by any measure) on any facet of guns, shooting, hunting, or personal defense. Entries at this blog are akin to good old-fashioned campfire chats or post hunt bourbon-fueled barroom-bluster; I offer no opinion on what you should or should not purchase, or what you should be using or doing. What does or does not work for me could be rugged-country-miles away from your tastes and your needs. All products, places, and miscellany that I review for this blog are purchased / rented / leased at retail price by me. I do not accept payment, gifts, discounts, freebies, products on loan, distilled spirits, recreational pharmaceuticals, plea-bargains, probation, parole, Papal Blessings, Presidential Pardons, or sexual favors for doing any review or blog post. TRACKING COOKIES: Google et al stick tracking cookies on everybody. If you are online, you are being spied on via one method or another, for one reason or another; 'nuff said. You may be able to minimize your online DNA residue by using Tor and Duck Duck Go. Vive la liberté! Vive all y'all! Ante omnia armari. To each of you, thanks for stopping by!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Helene and Art are used to being self-sufficient

.

Preparedness is the life that they live. Click here for Helene’s ideas on stocking up the pantry.

.

Snow is what we know.

.

This predicted blizzard is nothing most of us have not been through before, many times over, including the record blizzard of 1967 that the local media uses as a benchmark.

I’ve gone over my checklists. In case of power failure, there is plenty of firewood, and fuel for the emergency generator. We are well stocked with food and water. The all-wheel-drive big green GMC has new tires, a full tank of fuel, and the ever-present bag of emergency supplies. I’ll be staying home unless driving is essential.

The snow blower has been tanked-up, tested, and is ready to go. Helping out others will take up most of my time.

.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Saturday, January 29, 2011

A very Happy Birthday...

.

... to our good friend, Art!

.

The sounds bullets make when they pass too close for comfort.

.

Have you ever had a day afield when you heard, but did not see, something fly by your noggin at such speed that it could not possibly be a bug? I experienced two such unnerving events, both years ago and years apart. After long pondering the possibilities, I think I found the answer HERE. It is a well-done report with sound samples for different supersonic and subsonic loads.

.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Are you unstable?

.

Are you one of the millions of Americans taking antidepressants? Have you ever had a temper tantrum? Do you suffer from seasonal affective disorder? Have you ever been divorced? Do any family members or coworkers find you to be a bit odd? Are you a workaholic? Are you a perfectionist? Are you unemployed? Are you profoundly religious? Do you have long hair? Do you have no hair? Have you ever honked your car horn in anger? Have you ever been intimate with that seductive, ethereal lady-demon, Mary Jane? Have you ever had a DUI? Do you still live with your mommy and daddy?

Kurt Hofmann writes about government mental health scrutiny and gun purchases.

EDIT: The State of Illinois already has such measures in place.

.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

BIG NEWS at The Firearm Blog!

.

CLICK HERE for the details!

Nobody has done gun blogging better than Steve has. Many of us owe him a huge bucket of THANKS! He is pure class.

.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

IGOLD 2011

All Illinois gun owners are invited to join in Illinois Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) in Springfield, Thursday, March 10, 2011, 11:30am.  Please CLICK HERE for details.

.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF)

.

I am now a Patron Member of the Second Amendment Foundation. Hitting the “send button” after completing the online application form late Thursday evening fulfilled a long-standing promise that I made to myself. It gave me closure. By any earthly measure, I am not a wealthy man and never will be. If my budget projections are correct, this may well be my last significant financial contribution to the cause. All that I may have left to offer from here on is the power of my vote.

The battle for our Second Amendment rights did not end with District of Columbia V. Heller or with McDonald V. Chicago. Multiple court battles are underway while a number of deserving cases wait for their day. The Second Amendment Foundation is second to none when it comes to defending our rights inside of the courtroom. The SAF is there for us. The SAF needs and deserve our support. Please help if you can.

Available Second Amendment Foundation Membership Levels
$15 Annual
$50 5-Year
$150 Life (Defenders Club)
$1000 Patron (Committee of One Thousand)

.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Must maintain fiscal discipline… do not buy… do not buy…

.

Are Baby Boomers selling off their gun collections? For the past year or so, I have noticed a wave of cool old firearms hitting the store shelves. I sure would like to add this one to the rack… along with a dozen or so other available classic goodies, but since I too am a Boomer Baby with geezerdom hot on my heels… it just isn’t the correct thing for me to do at this stage of my life.



Gosh, that sure is a purty old revolver… S&W Model 57 .41 Magnum…

Bye forever my love, we could have been so good for each other…

.

Happy Birthday...

.

... to Daddy Bear!

.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

What is the difference between a magazine and a clip?

.

Please click on over to The Gun Zone, read, and learn. Afterwards you will sound more convincing as a “gun expert” on the internet, TV, radio, and in print.

Once you have that issue mastered, come on back and we will discuss why budding media “gun experts” should not declare, “The Glock 19 is commonly carried as a SERVICE REVOLVER by police...” EDIT:  Glenn B may have found the source of that meme.

.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Mike Harlow Holsters update 1/13/2011

.

This humble blog has received many hits from search engine queries such as “What happened to Mike Harlow Holsters?” After looking over the various internet sites, I see that nobody has anything bad to say about Mike or his wares; most just seem to want to find him so they can buy one or more of his holsters.

The Mike Harlow Holsters website at http://www.harlowholsters.com/ has not been responsive for quite some time so I am guessing it is not coming back, at least at that address. There is a website at http://store.dropzone360.com/ featuring Mike Harlow Holsters, but I don’t know if this is his new site or just an affiliate. Anyway, I left Mike Harlow Holsters listed on our sidebar and changed the address to http://store.dropzone360.com/. I cannot find an email or mailing address at this site so I cannot contact anyone for details. The site offers an email newsletter that I subscribed to a couple of days ago, but have not yet received.

Best of luck to you Mike Harlow, wherever it is you may be!

.

The sounds of sadness and madness via local police radio

.

Like the hundreds of other police calls that I hear every week, this one likely will not make the news.

Security personnel at a local Wal-Mart confronted a female shoplifter who then promptly sprinted from the store to her car and proceeded to race out of the parking lot for a clean getaway… leaving behind her 4-year-old daughter in the store.

.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Political blood slinging and gut raking

.

The dissonance roaring inside our political spectrum, from the outlying left to the far-flung right, echoes a sole common underlying self-serving theme, “Never let a serious massacre go to waste… it's an opportunity to do things you couldn't do before."

.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The PSA .25 ACP Featherweight Baby is available for immediate shipment

.

This following came in via Email from Precision Small Arms (PSA):

Be among the first to take delivery of the all-new Blackberry-sized FEATHERWEIGHT. Machined from steel and aerospace aluminum billet to exacting standards, obsessed over in the making, this world class 6.35mm (.25 ACP) concealed carry pistol will last a lifetime and be there when you need it. Low serial numbers still available. When only the very best in personal protection will do.

.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Friday, January 7, 2011

With a new business tax rate of 8.4%, get ready for MORE JOBS TO MOVE OUT OF ILLINOIS

.

People of America, stay out of Illinois. Not only are Illinois politicians corrupt, they are insane. Taxing businesses at 8.4% is pure idiocy. Their promise of the personal income tax rate dropping from 5.25% back to 3.75% after four years is PURE BULLSHIT! Once they get it on the books, you will NEVER see them give it up.

Source for the following is CLOUT STREET.

“Quinn and Democratic leaders are scrambling to approve the tax hike before a new crop of lawmakers are sworn in next week, when it will be more difficult to get support. The plan still faces several hurdles, and leaders and staff are expected to work through the weekend to hammer out details and build support.”

“Under the proposal, the state’s 3 percent personal income-tax rate would rise to 5.25 percent for four years, then fall to 3.75 percent. All told, that's a 75 percent increase. The rate businesses pay would temporarily jump from 4.8 percent to 8.4 percent, and smokers will pay another $1 in taxes on a pack of cigarettes.”

.

It is high time that we legalize pot.

.

No, I am not kidding. Our “War on Drugs” is a failure. Legalizing and TAXING pot would take a big cost load off our legal system. No, I am not a closet pot smoker; I never bothered to try the stuff and never will. The only dog I have in the fight is MY TAX DOLLAR! In my long years, I have known many pot smokers and NOT ONE of them ruined their life by smoking it, with the exception of felony convictions when caught.

.

The New Great American Dream

.

Once upon a lifetime ago in America, we all dreamed of becoming rich. Today, we dream of avoiding poverty.

.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Having fun with L.W. Seecamp custom serial numbers



The pictured 2008 vintage LWS .380 is strictly a collectable, as will be the “sister-pistol” that I ordered yesterday, an LWS .32 with serial number “007JBOND.”

In order to get a custom serial number for an L.W. Seecamp pistol the number must be “available,” i.e. it must be a serial number not yet used on any other LWS pistol (NOTE: a few of the early LWS .25 and LWS .32 pistols did have matching numbers and are highly sought-after collectables). The custom serial number can be up to eight characters long and at least one character needs to be a digit from “1” through “9.” It is common for folks to substitute a digit that resembles a letter, such as “1” for the letter “I” or “L” in a word (or name) in order to come up with no less than one digit in the serial number. Blank spaces count in the eight-character length limit. Over the many years, custom LWS serial numbers for many cops were their respective badge numbers, making their pistols treasured heirlooms.

Some custom serial numbers may initially seem cute or satisfy some ephemeral sentiment, such as “1_LUV_DD,” but, down the road, it may make your pistol difficult to sell. Serial numbers such as “1_K1LL_U” or “D1E_P1GS” may prove to be just a bit awkward if you and your pistol wind up in a civil or criminal trial. A custom serial number that is truly appropriate for a gunfight may be okay, such as “OH_SH1T” or “HE1P_ME.” What I am trying to say is that I’m guessing your defense attorney would prefer that your firearm’s serial number not require a lengthy, detailed, explanation before a judge and jury. My carry LWS .380 has a generic factory assigned serial number.

The market for .32 ACP pocket pistols is still alive and well.  Due to demand, there is a 3-month wait for the venerable Seecamp .32. As far as the demand for the LWS .380, the last time I checked, there was a waiting list just to get on the waiting list.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Do you need help shopping for a pocket pistol?

.

Face it; some gun store clerks, some gun forum members, and some gun bloggers may give information that is maybe just a click or two off the mark. When it comes to pocket guns, just how are you supposed to find out which one is the smallest, which is the lightest, which is the most affordable, and how many fingers will fit on the grip? Mouseguns.com has come to your rescue. Click here for a pdf comparison chart that will answer many of your questions and help you choose.
.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year 2011!

.

Many politicians did not win during 2010
Others promise heaven for 2011
Some begin to delve what’s possible for 2012
No eyes are yet flirting with 2013

.

*AGGREGATOR* -NEWS-WEATHER-SPORTS-OPINION-SCIENCE-TECH-RELIGION-POLITICS-GUNS-HUMOR-ENTERTAINMENT-

This Blog's most viewed posts during the past week

This Blog's most viewed posts during the past month

This Blog's most viewed posts during the past year

This Blog's Most Popular Posts of All Time


Be they Republican, Democrat, third party, fourth party or beyond, make each candidate earn it. Vote NO MORE GUN LAWS!

'We the Politicians of the United States, in Order to avoid a more perfect Union, manipulate Justice, destroy domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common offense, promote general Warfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Progeny, do blaspheme and eviscerate this Constitution of the United States of America." ("Zack," circa 1966 -1970)
Please consider RECURRING UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS of ALL FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL POLITICIANS (including but not limited to school records, acquaintances, employment history, Social Media, financial, drug, and psychiatric screenings). Please consider TERM LIMITS; political power corrupts.